Tag: Mental Fitness

International Friendship Day (also Friendship Day or Friend’s Day) is a day in several countries for celebrating friendship.

It was first proposed in 1958 in Paraguay as the “International Friendship Day”.

It was initially promoted by the greeting cards’ industry, with evidence from social networking sites suggesting a revival of interest in the holiday that may have grown with the spread of the Internet, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Mobile phones, digital communication and social media have contributed to popularise the custom.

Those who promote the holiday in South Asia attribute the tradition of dedicating a day in the honour of friends to have originated in the United States in 1935 but it actually dates back to 1919. The exchange of Friendship Day gifts like flowers, cards and wrist bands is a popular tradition on this occasion.

Friendship Day celebrations occur on different dates in different countries. The first World Friendship Day was proposed for 30 July in 1958, by the World Friendship Crusade. On 27 April 2011 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 30 July as official International Friendship Day. However, some countries, like India, celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August. In Nepal, Friendship day is celebrated on 30 July each year. In Oberlin, Ohio, Friendship is celebrated on 09 April each year.

Dates

• Argentina: 20 July.
• Bolivia: 23 July.
• Brazil: 20 July.
• Colombia: Second Saturday of March.
• Ecuador: 14 July.
• Estonia: 14 February.
• Finland: 14 February.
• India: First Sunday of August.
• Malaysia: First Sunday of August.
• Mexico: 14 July.
• Nepal: 30 July.
• Pakistan: 19 July.
• Spain: 30 July.
• United States: 15 February.
• Uruguay: 20 July.
• Venezuela: 14 July.
• Ukraine: 09 June.

History

Friendship Day was originated by Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark cards in 1930, intended to be 02 August and a day when people celebrated their friendships by holiday celebrations. Friendship Day was promoted by the greeting card National Association during the 1920’s but met with consumer resistance – given that it was too obviously a commercial gimmick to promote greetings cards. In the 1940’s the number of Friendship Day cards available in the US by had dwindled and the holiday largely died out there. There is no evidence to date for its uptake in Europe; however, it has been kept alive and revitalised in Asia, where several countries have adopted it.

In honour of Friendship Day in 1998, Nane Annan, wife of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, named Winnie the Pooh as the world’s Ambassador of Friendship at the United Nations (UN). The event was co-sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information and Disney Enterprises, and was co-hosted by Kathy Lee Gifford.

Some friends acknowledge each other with exchanges of gifts and cards on this day. Friendship bands are very popular in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and parts of South America. With the advent of social networking sites, Friendship Day is also being celebrated online. The commercialisation of the Friendship Day celebrations has led to some dismissing it as a “marketing gimmick”. But nowadays it is celebrated on the first Sunday of August rather than 30 July. However, on 27 July 2011 the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly declared 30 July as “International Day of Friendship”.

The idea of a World Friendship Day was first proposed on 20 July 1958 by Dr. Ramon Artemio Bracho during a dinner with friends in Puerto Pinasco, a town on the River Paraguay about 200 miles north of Asuncion, Paraguay.

Out of this humble meeting of friends, the World Friendship Crusade was born. The World Friendship Crusade is a foundation that promotes friendship and fellowship among all human beings, regardless of race, colour or religion. Since then, 30 July has been faithfully celebrated as Friendship Day in Paraguay every year and has also been adopted by several other countries.

The World Friendship Crusade has lobbied the UN for many years to recognise 30 July as World Friendship Day and finally on 20 May, General Assembly of the United Nations decided to designate 30 July as the International Day of Friendship; and to invite all Member States to observe the International Day of Friendship in accordance with the culture and customs of their local, national and regional communities, including through education and public awareness-raising activities.